With 2023 nearly at an end it is the perfect moment to reflect on this year’s Formula 1 season and amid the one-sided nature of the title fight, our writers have found their greatest moments.
Taylor Powling – Editor
A career choice finally pays dividends for Alonso
When Aston Martin announced that it had captured the signing of Fernando Alonso to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel in August 2022, it was hard to ignore the initial feeling of déjà vu.
Since dethroning the legendary Michael Schumacher to secure his second consecutive F1 title in 2006, Alonso’s career could be encapsulated by a series of rueful career moves that prevented him from accumulating the statistics in the top flight that his talent has so richly deserved.
From multiple near misses with Ferrari to becoming disenchanted by a series of uncompetitive and unreliable years during his second stint with McLaren, Alonso’s decision to trade the Renault-owned Alpine squad for Aston Martin appeared one borne out of pent-up frustration amid a season thwarted by reliability issues.
At that stage, the Silverstone squad he was set to move to that winter languished a lowly seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, having also been rooted to that position the previous year – the first since it morphed into Aston Martin from its previous guise.
However, the team’s decision to build on its mid-season switch to the downwash sidepod solution pioneered to devastating effect by Red Bull witnessed it storm out of the blocks in 2023. The pre-season anticipation surrounding the side proved to not be a false dawn as Alonso roared to six podium finishes in the opening eight races, becoming Red Bull’s closest contender in the process.
While Aston Martin would be unable to sustain that nascent momentum and slipped to fifth in the standings, Alonso was at his scheming best at the penultimate round in Brazil to orchestrate a last-lap overtake on Sergio Perez that ensured he returned to the podium rostrum once again.
Aston Martin is by no means the finished article – its mid-season slump illustrated that – but, unlike Alpine, it is a team in the ascendancy that upholds plenty of reasons for optimism. With a revitalized Alonso at the wheel, the British marque is one team to keep an eye on in 2024.
Phillip Horton – Grand Prix Editor
A ‘topsy-turvy’ Dutch GP
My first highlight of the year would have to be the Dutch GP. It is one of F1’s best-organised events, at a brilliant track, and not far away from a superb city in Amsterdam. The pre-race ceremony was absurdly good, with Andre Rieu hired to perform, and the atmosphere was electric.
The race itself was topsy-turvy, aided by the band of rain showers that swept in across the North Sea, and it highlighted how enthralling the battle has been behind Max Verstappen in 2023. That Verstappen remained impervious to pressure also emphasised the extraordinarily high level at which he performed throughout the season.
In changeable conditions, and amid the pressure of the home crowd, Verstappen’s pace was stunning – seconds faster than the rest – as he reeled in and overhauled Sergio Perez after the early round of stops. Verstappen bossed 2023 and this was a high-class display.
McLaren’s ‘renaissance’
Another highlight of F1 in 2023 wasn’t necessarily a moment or an event, but moreover the renaissance of McLaren. During the early rounds, it was a grim situation, and while senior management had cautioned that results in the interim would be few and far between, it felt like a case of history repeating itself.
McLaren’s mid-season turnaround was one of the most striking in memory, with the squad going from also-rans to Red Bull’s nearest challenger, allowing Lando Norris to remind everyone how good he is, and enabling Oscar Piastri to demonstrate just why the team was so keen to secure his services.
It wasn’t perfect, with Norris slipping up on Saturdays too frequently, while Piastri had the usual rookie lessons, particularly in races. But under the impressively astute Andrea Stella McLaren has a direction for the future that it appeared to lack even eight months ago.
George Dagless – Grand Prix Reporter
Monaco’s ‘extra special’ qualifying
I’m going for qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix. Saturday in Monte Carlo is always spectacular as the drivers thread their way through the streets of the Principality right on the limit, but this year’s felt extra special.
Pole changed hands four times in the final minutes of the session, with the top four eventually covered by less than two-tenths. Esteban Ocon was on course for a stunning pole for Alpine, before Charles Leclerc threatened to take it in front of his compatriots dotted around the circuit.
Fernando Alonso then set up his own potential fairytale, though, to take provisional pole by just over two-hundredths of a second, before Max Verstappen rose above them all, clouting the barriers as he went, to produce a stunning lap to take P1.
That, combined with what would prove to be a significant Q1 accident for Sergio Perez in terms of how the title fight eventually petered out, makes Saturday at Monaco my standout highlight from the 2023 season.
Sam Tomlinson – F1 Reporter
Sainz denies Red Bull historic clean sweep with memorable Singapore win
September’s Singapore Grand Prix saw Carlos Sainz pick up the first and only non-Red Bull victory of the season.
The blot on Red Bull’s once-perfect record means that the event won’t be forgotten in a hurry, but that’s not the reason why… Red Bull got it wrong in Singapore, allowing Sainz, still buoyed by the buzz of the Tifosi cheering him and team-mate Charles Leclerc on at Monza, to clinch pole from where he controlled proceedings. That was until a brief spell under the VSC left Sainz vulnerable as Mercedes rolled the dice in an attempt to challenge for the win.
Mercedes proved to be rapid in the final 15 laps, but Sainz deployed his intellect as the laps counted down and toyed with the interval to Lando Norris and George Russell behind, giving both drivers the DRS boost, allowing them to squabble amongst themselves.
Sainz executed the strategy perfectly, preserving victory, and preventing an attack from Norris as Russell fell by the wayside on the final lap.
Claire Millins – Carla’s Corner
McLaren and Williams emerge from the wilderness
My favourite moment of 2023 is not an on-track moment, but the resurgence of McLaren in the second half of the F1 season and Williams moving slowly up the rankings.
These two teams have been out in the wilderness for too long, so it was lovely to see Team Papaya up on the podium once again, including a win for rookie Oscar Piastri at the Qatar Sprint, and Alex Albon making several Q3 appearances for Williams and scoring 27 out of his side’s 28 points.
And hopefully in 2024 it will be onwards and upwards for both of them.
